What to make of "Project Speed", which the government is briefing this weekend? And what of the economic stimulus @BorisJohnson & @RishiSunak are set to announce?
http://dailym.ai/2Zcmp1I  1/

Speed in planning is not a bad thing. But nor is taking your time to minimise environmental damage, maximise environmental gain & win community consent. There *can* be excuses (aka good reasons) for delay.
https://bit.ly/31n0fwj  2/

I've seen umpteen Project Speed equivalents since the Barker Reviews 15-odd years ago. What they all have in common is that they create a lot of noise, provoke a lot of controversy & do very little to speed up planning decisions. 3/

That's because, although people moan about the planning system, they want decisions on land use to be taken carefully & democratically. This applies to Conservative voters at least as much as any other. 4/

Dominic Cummings has called the planning system "appalling". Others would regard centralising planning powers or allowing ministers to take decisions in defiance of planning advice as pretty appalling - see @lgcplus editor @NickGolding on #Westferry
https://bit.ly/2YEzBx7  5/

What of the government's plans to get building? The needs improved infrastructure & an economic stimulus. But we also have a massive task to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions & restore the natural world. Let's not make that task harder. 6/

The stimulus package should respect strategic environmental assessment & rules on species & habitats. Remember, at the election @BorisJohnson @Conservatives promised "the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth".
https://bit.ly/3g5ci5z  7/

Every measure in the economic recovery package, including new infrastructure, should be subject to a net zero test. Otherwise, the government will make it much, much herder to meet its legally binding climate commitments.
https://bit.ly/2NCZI1u  8/

One obvious area of concern is the roads programme. The government has spent over £11bn since 2017 on high carbon transport infrastructure. There are plans to invest £27.4bn to build 4,000 miles of new roads to 2025. Let's invest in broadband & EV infrastructure instead! 9/

Since 2017, the govt has invested £9bn in building houses that will have to be retrofitted. £1.6bn more will be invested this year. Yet only 1.2% of new homes built in 2017-19 Energy Performance Certificate band A! Let's build zero carbon homes & retrofit the ones we have! 10/

The real danger, judging from govt briefings, is that we'll see some good, green initiatives alongside weakened planning & lots of high carbon, nature damaging roads & other infrastructure. That would be a disaster. So in conclusion... 11/

Yes to an economic stimulus, but let's make it a truly green recovery, with consistent policies & the laggard departments, @transportgovuk & @mhclg, fully onside. #GreenRecovery & #BuildBackBetter are good slogans, but they must become more than just slogans. 12/12